I noticed this afternoon, at about 4pm. 42968 was on shed, and it looked like water was being sprayed onto the axle boxes. Was the axle boxes over heating?

Anyone know?

The ashpan has a serious gap each side, which occassionally allows hot ash to escape and fall on to the trailing coupled boxes, where it sets fire to the oil and grease that collects there. I'm hoping that this is the cause.

I noticed this afternoon, at about 4pm. 42968 was on shed, and it looked like water was being sprayed onto the axle boxes. Was the axle boxes over heating?

Anyone know?

The ashpan has a serious gap each side, which occassionally allows hot ash to escape and fall on to the trailing coupled boxes, where it sets fire to the oil and grease that collects there. I'm hoping that this is the cause.

Nope, the axle boxes were/are fine. As driver, I noticed on arrival at Bridgnorth that the ashpan was on fire for the 2nd time that day - due to the large amounts of slack in the current batch of coal which falls through the grate and catches fire in the ashpan. So while we were on shed having coal and a new fireman's side snifting valve gasket fitted, the cleaners emptied the pan and used the hose through the above mentioned gap to damp things down.

Having a fast track overhaul! Not complaining nice loco but why does it jump the que?

Because the owners already have the money to fund the overhaul (at worse a large part) IIRC it's the same situation with the following overhaul due around 2025. 42968 owners , the SMF have the funding in place to keep it in traffic until aroung 2040. All paid out if their funds not the railway hence the priority treatment.